Melk, Austria

Arrived in Melk to clear skies and brisk fall temperatures. Melk has been an important spiritual and cultural center in Austria for over 1000 years. The 900-year-old Benedictine monestery dominates the skyline.
The 450+ room monestary is now home to a small number of practicing monks (13 live there full time) and houses a school with over 750 students. It is considered one of Europe's great cultural heritage sites. Restoration has been ongoing since 1978, mostly funded by revenue from tours.

View from the balcony of the monestary.

The church is stunning with incredible amount of gold trim. Later we were to find out that most detail work is made out of wood and covered with gold leaf. Only a total of 4 kilograms of gold were used in the entire church. This is incredible, considering that there is gold everywhere.

As with most of the churches and cathedrals, the frescos are breathtaking and are in remarkably good condition considering that the buildings were lit by candles for centuries.

Here's a sampling of the views from the ship as we sailed from Melk toward Germany.

In total we pass through 67 locks during our voyage. In 1992, a canal was constructed connecting the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers. Until then it was impossible to navigate by water from Budapest to Amsterdam. The difference in elevations of the rivers was accommodated by this elaborate canal and lock system. We are 670 feet higher today than when we left Budapest.